A young, whole coconut vs a macaw?

[June2012]

Can a macaw eat a whole coconut as a foraging toy? We have young, whole coconuts that come individually wrapped at the Asian Super Market. I don't have access to organic coconuts, both adult and young. I know that a couple of the macaws can crack open a coconut open no problem. I think it's only the GW and Hyacinth, right?

And is giving one whole to a macaw dangerous for it's fat levels? I know they're supposed to be given a more fatty diet than other parrots. And even so, is just letting them shred the outside bad for an active medium to larger sized bird? It just seems like a GREAT foraging toy not bad for a macaw or any other larger sized bird, or even, a group of medium sized birds. (For the medium sized bird I think you could just crack it a bit to help them tear it a part. The brown part isn't as thick compared to the white part.) Or is the outer white part poisonous to them? I don't think the brown shell is. I've seen videos on YouTube of them playing with it...

Young Coconuts - young coconut nutrition

[img=http://www.youngcoconuts.com/images/nutritionfacts.jpg]

Any ideas?? Does this sound stupid? I'm parrotnoid when it comes to these things. I don't want my parrot to be the dead pioneer. :52:

EDIT: I think Scarlets could use this too... AGs maybe. Ah, forget the specifics. Just anything bigger than a budgie could do it. XD

 

[Birdman666]

I've given mine coconuts before, but what I normally do is either cut it in half for them and string it up, or cut it into pieces, and string up the pieces...

Pieces seems to be preferred. That's the stuff they actually play with and eat.

After a couple of days, I take it down, and clean the coconut. Then the shells become chew toys....

 

[June2012]

I've given mine coconuts before, but what I normally do is either cut it in half for them and string it up, or cut it into pieces, and string up the pieces...

Pieces seems to be preferred. That's the stuff they actually play with and eat.

After a couple of days, I take it down, and clean the coconut. Then the shells become chew toys....

But what I'm wanting to use isn't really a normal coconut. It sorta looks like a huge wood toy, but bigger and easier to shred I would think. No? Or is that just my imagination...

 

[Birdman666]

I'm confused.

Normal coconuts have a husk. Those are called shredder toys.

They have a shell. Those would be foot toys and chew toys.

And they have meat. Those would be bird treats.

 

[Doublete]

I thought a coconut was a coconut... They all look the same.

Right?

 

[June2012]

I'm confused.

Normal coconuts have a husk. Those are called shredder toys.

They have a shell. Those would be foot toys and chew toys.

And they have meat. Those would be bird treats.

Well, adult coconuts are big and brown, right? But YOUNG coconuts have 3 inches of this white coat. It seems like a very soft wood without splinters? And inside this there's a very thin husk. It seems to be a lot less harder to crack through compared to a normal coconut. Inside, there's also more water than meat.

Basically, young coconuts are more shreddable.

EDIT: By the way, the white I get from the market are so much thicker than the ones used in photo shoots.. It's so unfair!

 

[June2012]

I thought a coconut was a coconut... They all look the same.

Right?

A coconut is the same as a coconut, but so is an adult coconut the same as it's younger self, ya know? I don't know why they shed the white outer coating, but the white stuff is like a very soft wood that you can't get splinters from. I can't explain it.

 

[Solo]

I would assume it could be used without problem, though the meat is sweeter and should be given in moderation. My Mac is currently destroying the outer husk and shell of a fully matured coconut, since they are more dense and harder to destroy I would assume the younger/softer coconuts would be destroyed in no time at all. The crowbar attached to a Macs face is capable of shredding just about anything the bird sets its mind to.